CHAPTER 6 THE EVENT PLANNING MODEL: THE EVENT IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT PHASE LORNE J. ADAMS This chapter emphasizes the role of the event manager in making the operational plan work when it counts most: at the event itself. While many may be aware of the detail within the operational plan, no one knows it as well as you, the event manager. That is why you will be called upon to facilitate the work of the people who implement the plan, monitor the activities as well as manage and provide guidance concerning the unfore- seen problems that arise.
How you manage all of this will determine not only the success of the event but your success as a quality manager. A lot will be asked of you as the event unfolds. Understanding yourself and your role is critical to the success of the event. You will not be a dispassion- ate observer; you will be totally immersed in the event and all it entails.
You will also bring your unique set of skills and abilities, predispositions and biases with you. They are as much a part of the event as the people and systems you are attempting to manage. IMPLEMENTATION: EXECUTING THE PLAN Implementation involves the execution of the plan by moving the planned operational concepts and processes from the members who completed the planning to a myriad of event staff and volunteers who are tasked with executing the plan (Buchanan & O’Connell, 2006). Facilitating the imple- mentation of the operational plans does not take place in a passive world; it is purpose driven, goal oriented and dynamic, as we live in a unique change-based time (Mallen, 2006), and the forces of change demand that the event implementation phase 127 we react to and manage the repercussions of that change.
In this environ- ment, implementation is not easy. The first step entails coordinating and getting all of the people implementing the plan on the same page. DISSEMINATING IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS AND PRODUCTION MEETINGS The group or team responsible for implementing the plan will be much broader than that which created the plan. They need an opportunity to hear, understand and assimilate the plan in their unique area of respon- sibility and in the larger context of the overall plan.
Production meetings are held to provide this opportunity. There are several key elements required in the art of hosting production meetings. These meetings include a variety of event invitees who are involved in the integral act of imple- menting the event operational plans. These meetings need to have a pre- established detailed agenda; to offer supplementary materials that ensure understandings of goals and objectives of the organization, as well as of the event; to delineate the specific roles and responsibilities; and to offer facility tours to ensure that all of those implementing the event plans know the facility.
Who is involved in these meetings? In some cases, when the event is small, it is possible to involve everyone in the production meeting. However, as the size and complexity of the event increase, it becomes progressively less practical and possible to involve everyone. Your plan should have deter- mined managers for each event component. It is essential that these people are in attendance.
They in turn will be responsible for holding implemen- tation meetings with the staff and volunteers who make up the network members associated with their unique area of responsibility. What does hosting an implementation meeting entail? To begin with, a detailed agenda needs to be developed. This will help you prescribe an adequate amount of time for the meeting and an agenda. You want to maximize the use of people’s time and keep them focused.
A detailed agenda with some general guidelines allotting time for each item helps to maintain attendees’ focus and will allow a flow to occur in the meeting. Be considerate of people’s time: be sure to send the agenda out early enough for participants to review and analyze the material. The exact timing is a subjective judgment. If you send it too early, you risk having it set aside and forgotten.
If you send it too late, people may still be reviewing 128 L. Adams materials as the meeting unfolds, which will lead to needless discussion and can derail a meeting quite quickly. As a rule of thumb, 7–10 days of advance notice is a reasonable time frame for many people. Supplementary materials should also be provided with the agenda.
These include the written operational plans. Once again, as these are the people who are going to train others and keep them on track, a high level of detail is required here. Throughout the plan, each member’s personal responsi- bilities should be highlighted in some way. The highlighting can be done as simply as by the use of bold text or a coloured highlighter.
Producing such a personalized plan for each member takes time, but it provides focus. Also, the addition of an executive summary can minimize questions and providing an organizational flowchart will help delineate responsibilities and establish a context for each node involved in the plan. Finally, a diagram of the facility with detailed and accurate instructions will help those concerned understand locations and the placement of equipment. A pictorial representation of this kind will save a lot of oral explanations that can be misinterpreted.
When members attend production meetings, never assume that everyone has read the material provided in advance. People do not intend to derail a meeting, nor do they deliberately attempt to hold up the process by shirking their responsibility to review the material. However, they may have busy, complex lives, and sometimes even the well-intentioned have to deal with issues not associated with your event, no matter how impor- tant it may seem to you. It is your responsibility as the facilitator to provide an oral review to ensure that everyone understands the written operational plans and the specific tasks for which they are responsible.
Production meetings provide opportunities to ensure that each member implementing the plan understands the goals and objectives of the event. They must also know their responsibilities, including required actions. Creating specific responsibilities limits the possibility of someone thinking that someone else is responsible for a particular task, and thereby increases accountability. It is also important that team members understand the interrelatedness of their role with other elements of the plan.
They need to see how what they are doing contributes to the larger plan and that what they are doing is valued. When it becomes clear that what they are doing is not an end in itself but an important part of a much larger whole, commitment and motivation are enhanced. the event implementation phase 129 In addition to providing written materials and discussing them at the production meeting, giving team members a tour of the facility or facilities to discuss elements on-site in the context of the operational plan is essential. During a tour, managers of each event component may be able to assess specific needs or problems, such as access to electrical outlets, sound system, running water, internet access and so on.
At the end of production meeting(s) and facility tour(s), component managers and the constituent managers within each component should be aware of the specific goals of the event, their unique responsibilities and how they fit into the overall plan. They should also be familiar with the venue(s) and be prepared to motivate and train those who will report to them. Their questions should have been answered and, if you have done a good job, they will be excited about getting started. MONITORING THE DYNAMIC AND FLUID OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT During implementation, you as the facilitator need to focus on the details of the plan using a “zoom lens.” Two key areas to focus on are the moni- toring of timing and progress.
For example, you need to monitor whether enough time has been allotted for getting essential materials to the venue in a timely manner so that people are not sitting around waiting to do their work. Also, have you allocated enough time for set-up and to test the equipment? If people need to be at two or more venues at specific times, is there enough travelling time available for them? Monitoring involves questioning to determine whether people are attending to the task so that the plan can be successfully implemented in the time scheduled. It is important that you, as a facilitator, see and be seen by the event staff and volunteers. You should employ an operating principle that involves “the five Ps of implementation.” Use your presence and profile to support positive and productive performance.
Presence is the concept of man- agement by walking around. When you are present, it is easier for dialogue to occur. Implementers can ask you questions, and you in turn can ques- tion them. This will reduce ambiguity in the first instance, and in addition provide implementers with the sense that what they are doing is important and a worthwhile contribution.
Your presence also reinforces your percep- tion of attention to detail. Ultimately, you will have a working knowledge of all phases of the plan. Adams Your presence also raises the profile of the specific components. If a task is deemed important enough for you to visit its implementers, it raises the value of their unit to the people completing the task.
Like it or not, as an event manager you have a profile, and you can use that profile in positive, productive ways. When you have taken the time to visit, and to ask and respond to questions, a subtle process of accountability has been intro- duced. If you have addressed the concerns of the front-line workers, have listened to their suggestions and provided your vision of the project or event, people will be more committed to doing the work, and doing it well. They are people, and you are seen as a person, not an object.
If workers have the sense that everyone concerned is important to the eventual suc- cess of the project, they will be more committed to ensuring that success with their productive performance. MANAGING OPERATIONAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION It is your responsibility as the event manager to facilitate the management of deviations from the operational plan that may happen for any reason. Doing so will be a tough task. According to Wijngaard and de Vries (2006), tacit knowledge is required to make judgments on the precision of per- formance.
Tacit knowledge, you will recall, is related to advancement knowledge. As the text has pointed out, tacit knowledge has been acquired through personal experience. It is the know-how you have acquired over the years as a student, as a volunteer, as an emerging professional. It is that “job sense” that comes from having been there.
Schön (1983), in his book The Reflective Practitioner, refers to professionals as being able to work “in the indeterminate zones” that their training has not explicitly prepared them for. Doing so requires an application of knowledge. Several tips (adapted from “How to stay on course,” 2006) can aid you to keep imple- mentation on track: ■ Determine deviations from the operational plans through a variety of mechanisms, such as periodic progress reviews, anecdotal reports and direct observation. ■ Create a climate in which people are not afraid to report implemen- tations in a timely way, including arising problems and issues.
■ Do not wait for progress reports; be out on the front lines of implemen- tation, observing and asking questions. ■ Every implementation plan contains risks – some unforeseeable. the event implementation phase 131 Create a contingency plan for all foreseeable issues and be prepared with a strategy to assess and manage unforeseeable issues. Once you have noted that there is a deviation from the plan, you will need knowledge and the ability to develop a strategy for bringing things back on track.